Former Federal Bureau of Prisons Employees Convicted of Charges Arising from Their Failure to Obtain Medical Care for an Inmate Who Later Died from His Injuries

On December 21, 2024, a federal jury convicted a BOP Correctional Officer of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of false statements after a two-week long trial by jury. In addition, a BOP Registered Nurse was found guilty of one count of false statements during the trial. Lieutenant Shronda Covington and Registered Nurse Tonya Farley were convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia. Covington and Farley were accused of knowingly and willfully depriving an inmate of his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment by failing to ensure the inmate was provided with necessary medical care during a medical crisis that resulted in his death in January 2021. Covington and Farley were also accused of knowingly and willfully making materially false statements to DOJ OIG Special Agents. A third defendant, BOP Correctional Officer Yolanda Blackwell, was acquitted on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The investigation was conducted by the OIG's Washington Office; forensic assistance was provided by the OIG's Cyber Investigations Division, and analysis provided by the OIG’s Mid-Atlantic Region Investigative Analyst.